“I am the greatest”

Muhammad Ali was certainly larger than life during his reign as boxing’s heavyweight champion. Ali passed away on June 4th and the world lost a spokesman for peace, racial equality and an iconic figure of the twenty first century. Being of the younger persuasion, I was not even born yet when he captured the title in 1964 for the first time, one of three times he would hold that distinction. In seeing all these tributes to Ali, it seems like he was a polarizing figure for some, especially in the 1960’s when the civil rights movement was in full swing. He seemed to be a figure that people could rally around to have there message heard and he used his notoriety to help bring issues to the forefront. His rhetoric in and out of the boxing ring is legendary and will forever be remembered. I post this only because some of the most iconic photographs ever shot, those that hang in sports bars, offices, business lobbies and possibly even in home offices are of Ali during his prime. That is the power of a photograph and some of those black and white photos tell a masterful story of man who lived a tumultuous life at times, but later became love by generations. God Speed Muhammad Ali.